USDA: Showers in Upper Midwest Easing Dryness

USDA's Joint Ag Weather Facility says in the Corn Belt, dry weather prevails across much of the region, with pockets of moderate drought developing in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. "In contrast, locally heavy showers are easing dryness in the Upper Midwest," USDA explains.

In the West, USDA says warm, dry weather persists, promoting fieldwork and crop development. "However, breezy and dry conditions are maintaining the threat of wildfire development and expansion in parts of the Intermountain West," USDA reports.

On the Plains, USDA says scattered showers continue across southern areas, while cool but drier weather is returning farther north. "Varying degrees of drought persist on the central Plains, where topsoil moisture remains in short supply for crops, pastures and livestock," USDA adds.

In the South, USDA reports spotty showers continue from eastern Texas to the southern Atlantic Coast. "Despite early-week showers, more rain is needed across the drought-affected Mid-South, where corn is entering reproduction," USDA explains. Likewise, severe to exceptional drought persists in parts of the Southeast despite recent rainfall, USDA adds.

USDA's outlook says high pressure will provide dry weather to the eastern third of the nation, with cool conditions across the Atlantic Coast states contrasting with increasingly warm weather in the eastern Corn Belt. "Showers are likely on the periphery of the high, especially along the Gulf Coast and from the central Plains into the western and northern Corn Belt, where locally heavy rain could fall," USDA explains. Dry weather will prevail from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast, with heat intensifying over the weekend in California and the Southwest, according to USDA.